Things you like or don't like about SH4

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by castorp345

in the control room if you click on the sonar operator and then click the interface button for sonar contacts then the operator will turn and talk to you...

So will the XO

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by Yak

One thing I like is the news feature in the radio messages (shame you don't actually get an audio notification for incoming RT but anyway...)

Yes, you do get audio notification for radio messages, Yak. I think you have to be at 1x though.

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by Snakeeyes

SOMEONE WANT TO TELL ME WHY THEY DID THIS?!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry, but for me (a person who can't run applications at resolutions allowing me to see the great wall of china from space) not having FSAA KILLED GRAW for me. I had to shelve it because the graphics were absolutely disgusting. I figured the "step-ladder wire" pictures were because the game was beta but now I see its because Ubisoft lost their minds... again.

Ok... maybe it sounds harsh (sorry Neal) but I'm really disappointed about this. I figure there is a 50/50 chance I'm just going to return it if its ANYTHING like what I got from GRAW. Graphics too sh#tty? Raise the resolution! Oh yeah... if you raise the resolution you get the framerate of a PINTO! If this is the case it's going back in the box and back to Ubisoft. I'm GLAD I didn't shell out for upgrades now.

No need to apologize to me, mate. If you decide to return it, that's your perogative. Of course, the SH4 discussions will be a little flat without you

Neal

[hyperion2206]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

Then why are you even posting? Your attitude up until now seems to be pretty nose in the air without adding anything of substance. Just vague criticisms about the game not being finished.

The game will be released in 2 or 3 days over here in Europe, so he can tell us what he really thinks of SH4 pretty soon.

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by castorp345

there's a popup (and repositionable) image/dialog for the radio controls...
so far as i can tell though there's only one radio station available...

Click the little arrows on the radio. One is for play, there is another that looks like a FF arrow, it scans frequencies.

[JamesT73J]

I think claiming the lack of FSAA is equivalent to the game not being released at all is hilarious.

The screenies do have that 'painting' affect, but I thought SH3 also had a very artistic feel, which I really liked. I'm looking forward to the mod community getting their teeth into it.

James

[castorp345]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Click the little arrows on the radio. One is for play, there is another that looks like a FF arrow, it scans frequencies.

that's true, but in both directions it scans without finding anything other than 'washington'...

and indeed, in the \Data\Sound\Radio folder the only radio station present seems to be the Washington folder...

i suppose the community is expected here to come up with further radio stations...

[Sheppard]

My overall summary from a few minutes playing SH4:

THE GOOD:
They've improved time compression, I was able to crank it up to something like 4000x away from a base in the Phillipines and watch the time spool away smoothly. Looks like logn pacific patrols won't be torture.


An idea taken from the modders!

Hitting ESC near a base brings up this menu:


Graphics are cool



Many more options than simply 1024x768, including some widescreen formats (I think)

THE BAD:


The Career screen is 3d. Yes. 3d. You can click and drag your view around, which causes you to miss selectable areas due to the initial default view angle. And it used up valuable time that could have been used for something else, and really adds no immersion.

The User interface is much less intuitive and clunkier than SH3's.

While there are some nice things from mods for SH3 that have been incorporated like enlargeable dials, e.g. you put the mouse over a dial and it enlarges, etc, too much of the user interface is clunky and takes up more room compared to the SH3 incarnation:




Too much was changed around from SH3 for no good reason other than "change is good!"

Why was it necessary to move the report list from the bottom of the screen, where it's grouped with all the other controls and dials to it's own window, which constantly gets in the way and is distracting, no more simply scanning the bottom of the screen? Yes, I know the report window is now draggable around but it's a pain to drag it around so you can see certain things on specific screens.

Also, you can no longer click on people in the 3D view, and tell them what to do via the menu which appears when you hit them like in SH3.

It also appears that you can no longer tell the Weapons officer equivalent to come up with a solution on the target (something which I think happened due to the shift from "crewmen" to "Stations" as a design decision).

No longer does a single button bring up the fuel status, air status, CO2 status, etc; but now you have to click buttons on the bottom of the screen to bring up that status, and it's displayed as a simple filled bar, no more immersive graphics of dials.


(Blown up 200% to make it easier to see)

More Damning, is that AFAIK, the TDC is confusingly all over the place AFAIK, there's no immersive single "go to" screen for the TDC like there was in SH1.


SH4 TDC (best you got)


SH1 TDC single screen

The Radar isn't much better


SH4 Radar. Yes, I'm sure WW2 radars displayed the range scale on the CRT screen itself. There are no labels on the switches, so you have to sort of guess how many clicks on the switch to get the range you want.



SH1 Radar. Quite a bit more useable, no?

[Sheppard]

(continued since 12 image limit, grrr)


Particle Sprays will enamanate from the limber holes in your boats; I guess this is to simulate cascading water off your hull. But it just looks bad.


Why, I didn't know that the US used Lancasters as long range bombers and search planes in WW2!

Also, I didn't know that the US used metric to measure distances and depths in WW2!


The flickering light problem is also present in this. Guess they didn't fix it.

[BOF]

I think the interior sounds are bad, and the water sprays comming from the submarines don't look good at all.

Explosions and effects I think is good.

BOF

[Fat Bhoy Tim]

So basically we can all agree it's another game which is barely more than half finished in both the literal and figurative sense. Wonderful.

[Spaxspore]

bow shots dont seem to work at all, 2 in the bow of a japanese destoryer... not visable damage, no flooding, nothing... happened to me multiple times on bow shots so far, have not killed anything or damaged anything by hitin the bow

[Hans Schultz]

Originally Posted by Fat Bhoy Tim

So basically we can all agree it's another game which is barely more than half finished in both the literal and figurative sense. Wonderful.

its becoming the norm with PC games anymore.

[Spaxspore]

yep only company it hasnt been in my experiance in star docks games. Man they know how to make a finished product with a limited budget and devs. And they read forums and use customer input to add new features to thier games. (IE GAL CIV2) i know am a fan boy of them , but i cant help it.

[Fat Bhoy Tim]

Originally Posted by Hans Schultz

its becoming the norm with PC games anymore.

In fact the only games I've bought in the last few years that didn't need major patching were the Dawn of War games, and Company of Heroes - both by Relic. And Full Spectrum Warrior (the original, not the rubbish sequel).

Two developed by Relic, and all 3 published by THQ. There's a lesson in there I think :hmm: